


A Messy Kitchen Is A Sign Of Happiness

by The_One_And_Only_Joey



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Chef Ian, Chef Mickey, Cooking, Crushes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Jealous Ian Gallagher, M/M, Sexual Tension, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-07-22 06:00:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7422658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_One_And_Only_Joey/pseuds/The_One_And_Only_Joey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian always thought that he would replace his mentor as the head chef at his brand new restaurant. But what happens when the rug is pulled out from underneath him and instead the position goes to a thug with a bad attitude?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've decided I wanted to write again and there is only one fandom that has my heart!

Ian was excited. Well maybe excited was a little bit underwhelming with how he was feeling at this exact moment, but it was the best way to describe it. He was excited because today was the day that Chef De Ghent chose the head chef of his new restaurant.

Ian knew it was going to be him, he just did. He rose through the ranks quickly after finishing culinary school, so quickly that by year 2 he was promoted to Sous Chef by Chef De Ghent himself. He praised Ian’s hard work and determination, and said it was a no-brainer when he chose him to work under him.

Ian thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Chef De Ghent taught him everything he knew and opened his eyes to new recipes Ian never dreamed of. Ian would even go as far as to say the older man was like a father to him, on top of being a great mentor, so when the time came for that next step he couldn’t imagine him choosing anyone else.

* * *

He walked through the thick glass doors of Le cœur et l'âme, the restaurant he worked at for the last 6 years, with a huge smile plastered to his face.

“What’s got you so smiley?” 

Ian looked to his left and seen Michelle, one of the line cooks on the garnish station. She was a petite black girl who hailed from London. She had curly brown hair, almond shaped eyes, full lips and signature mole above her lip on the right side. All and all she was beautiful.

“Just a great day to be alive is all Michelle” Ian replied 

“And it has nothing to do with Chef De Ghent announcing who’s going to run Le Rêve Évasion?” She said with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

Ian only smiled wider. “Could be” he finished with a shrug as he follows her into the backroom to change.

“Oh stop trying to seem insouciant” She said with a laugh 

“Huh?”

“Sorry, forgot your vocabulary was limited darling” 

“Fuck you” He laughed, knowing Michelle was joking around

She walked over to Ian and put an arm around his shoulder “But really Ian we all know he’s going to choose you. You’re like family to the old man”

Ian looked at her with a grin “You really think so?”

“God yes, I get diabetes from how sweet your interactions are”

“Well I promise when we he promotes me to keep the sweetness to a minimum, you know for your health”. He said patting her on the shoulder as she walked away to put on her work clothes.

“Ha fucking ha, so have you thought about who you’ll hire as Sous Chef?’ 

Ian did his best mock thinking face as Michelle looked eagerly on “I don’t know....I think I might choose Brian”

“Bullshit, I cook fucking circles around that prig!”

Ian laughed out “I’m only joking Michelle. You know it’s you and me forever”

“Good” she said with a smile.

They left the backroom once they were dressed and the other employees started come in to change, and walked to the kitchen to wait for Chef De Ghent. 

* * *

Everybody went to their positions in the kitchen and started to prep for the day’s service, chatting and joking around, but when Chef De Ghent stepped through the swinging doors the room went quiet and everybody seemed to work a little bit harder and stand a little bit straighter.

“Will everybody stop what they are doing for a moment” Chef De Ghent said “I have an announcement to make, so gather around in the center please”

Everybody put their knives down and walked to the center of the Kitchen to stand before the Chef. Ian was a bag of nerves and excitement as he waited for him to tell them the good news.

“Now I’m sure you are all aware that I am opening another restaurant across town” Everyone nodded their understanding “Well, since this is my primary location and the first ever restaurant I opened, I will be staying put here. But I’ve already decided who will run Le Rêve Évasion as Chef de cuisine. Note that this person will be In charge of hiring the wait staff, line cooks, sommelier and more importantly their Sous Chef. So it’s a position that must be taken quite seriously, and it’s only one person I see fit to run it. So allow me to present the new Chef de cuisine……”’

Ian began to step forward, a smile threating to break his face in half.

“Mykhailo Milkovich!”

The whole room clapped as a short man with jet black hair and ocean blue eyes appeared next to Chef De Ghent. He shook Chef De Ghent’s hand and nodded his thanks to the staff with an unimpressed look on his face, and nobody noticed, except Michelle, that Ian was standing there with a shocked expression written all over his features.

What the fuck just happened……?

  



	2. Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn I took forever, my bad?

Ian stood there frozen in place after the bombshell that just dropped and effectively destroyed his whole sense of up and down, right and wrong, loyalty and disloyalty. How could this be happening? How could all his hopes and dreams come crashing down in a mere matter of minutes?

The whole kitchen was back in full swing as Chef De Ghent walked around, seemingly introducing “Mykhailo” to the kitchen staff. No one seemed to notice his internal breakdown, as they were too busy paying attention to the details of their dishes in front of them, as to not screw up and catch Chef De Ghent’s ire.

But Ian couldn’t get his legs to move. His brain was sending the signals to his limbs but they just weren’t responding. He just continued to stand there in an unexplained trance, as life seemed to move around him in slow motion. 

“Ian? Ian, are you okay?” Michelle’s muffled voice was starting to creep in pass the deafening buzz of silence. “Ian, darling you’re causing a scene…walk with me?” 

Ian for his part just allowed Michelle to snake an arm around his waist and lead him out of the crowed kitchen, and all its welcomed noise he’s grown to love. They walked through the swinging doors that led to the locker room. She pulled a seat and sat Ian down before pulling another chair up for her to sit in front of him. “Ian you have to cut the dramatics honey. I know you’re feeling displaced but SNAP OUT OF IT!”

The loud crack of her palm connecting to the skin of his cheek echoed loudly in the empty space, the acoustics were amazing! But now was not the time for that observation as the pain of the smack was a shock to his system, causing him to instinctively rub his hand up and down his cheek to soothe the pain.

“Michelle what the fuck?!” 

“OH good you’re back from crazy land” Michelle said while patting his knee gently with a small smile on her lips “Sorry for hitting you, but I had to knock you back to reality” 

“God mission accomplished” He said continuing to rub his cheek, still feeling the sting of the assault. The thought quickly dissipated however, and pain turned to anger “What the fuck was Chef thinking?! I’ve been working my ass off for him since I got here! How could he throw me aside for that- that-“

“Stud Muffin? Dreamboat? Sexy mysterious blue eyed-“

“God, okay I get it!” Ian huffed out, not really in the mood for his friend’s lusty imagination staring the blue eyed devil that just stole his fucking job! “Where the fuck did he come from?! I swear I’ve never heard Chef mention him once!” 

Ian was now out of his chair and pacing back in forth in the confines of the empty locker room. Michelle’s eyes were following her friend’s movements the whole time. He was babbling incoherently, throwing up his hands, laughing before screaming. She just wished she had some popcorn to watch this scene play out, because the shit was more dramatic than Young & The Restless. 

“-Just like that?”

Michelle blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head. Did he just ask her a question? “I’m sorry what?”

“Jesus Michelle, you weren’t even listening to me?” 

“I’m sorry sweetie, I wanted to but this whole breakdown is too amusing” 

Ian watched as his friend giggled uncontrollably. Her eyes crinkling a little at the sides and her dimples making an appearance. He was glad she could find the humor in this whole mess, but he was not in the mindset to do the same. “Michelle this isn’t funny…Am I not a good Chef?” 

Michelle abruptly stopped her little fit at the hurt now in Ian’s eyes. It was funny when he was just overreacting but now it was turning into self-consciousness in his abilities as a cook, and that just couldn’t happen “You’re an amazing Chef Ian. Just because the old man passed you by has nothing to do with your skills…maybe you aren’t ready”

Ian whipped his head around so fast he damn near caught whiplash. Was she fucking serious? Just because Michelle was a mediocre Chef at best, did not mean he was the same. He was ready, he’s been ready and that promotion belonged to him!

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about” 

“Excuse me?” Michelle asked, clearly not amused with the tone he was taking.

“I’m ready. Just because he passed you over for Sous Chef and gave the job to me doesn’t mean I’m not ready. Don’t pull me down into your sea of averageness” 

Michelle opened and closed her mouth. The words were on the tip of her tongue, she could taste them, and they were sharp enough to rip the skin off his face. But she only clamped her mouth shut, stood up confidently and smoothed the creases in her pristine white chef’s jacket. 

She could see Ian’s wondering eyes following as she strode towards the door, but paid him no mind until her hand was on the door, at which time she shot him the iciest glare known to man “Maybe Mykhailo got the job because he’s better than you. I know that’s a hard thing for your self-deserving ass to grasp, but you’re not as good as you think you are, you whinny man-child!” 

Ian watched as she pushed through the door with enough force to tear it off its hinges. He couldn’t believe he took his anger out on his friend like that. She was only trying to help him through this setback and he completely exploded on her and he hit below the belt. 

Michelle never once gave him shit for getting the position over her, she just smiled and accepted it and even took him out to celebrate. Hell he couldn’t do his job if it wasn’t for her constantly reaffirming his skills and abilities. 

He had to apologize, but before he could make it across the room, Chef De Ghent and “Mykhailo” were walking in.

“And this is how the breakroom will look in Le Rêve Évasion, but you can decorate it however yo- Ian what are you doing in here?” 

Ian stood up straighter and ran his heads hastily down his jacket to smooth it out “Um I just had to get my knives” 

“Your knives are at your station my boy” Chef De Ghent laughed out a hearty laugh “I need you out there supervising and keeping order in my absence, you are my Sous Chef for a reason” 

“I know Chef, I’m sorry Chef” Ian looked down defeated 

“Oh cheer up lad, it’s okay to take a break…Oh I wanted you to meet Mykhailo”

“Mickey” The short man corrected 

“I’m sorry?” 

“You keep calling me “Mykhailo” Bastien, you know I go by Mickey” 

Ian couldn’t believe he just heard the stranger refer to Chef De Ghent by his first name. How personal and unprofessional. He waited for Chef to chew him out but was surprised when he only laughed and playfully gripped his shoulder.

“Ah there’s that attitude I love…Ian this is Mickey” 

The man walked forward and outstretched his hand for Ian to shake, which he did tightly. Mickey only smirked at his attempt to establish dominance, before taking a step back “Okay I have to get out of here. Nice to meet you man”

Mickey turned on his heel and waved one last time before he disappeared through the swinging door, leaving only Ian and Chef De Ghent alone. “Okay let’s get back out there, sadly food waits for no one…ah c’est la vie “

Ian watched as the Chef was about to leave, but he wouldn’t have the nerve to say this later, so it had to be now. “Chef, a question?” Chef stopped and waited patiently for Ian to continue “I don’t want to sound ungrateful after everything you’ve done for me, but why did I get passed over for the promotion to Head Chef?” 

“I don’t understand” 

Ian tried to rephrase it better, because Chef De Ghent was looking at him like he was crazy “I mean- I know Mickey might be a good Chef but I thought we had and understanding that I would take over. You’ve been training me……did I do something wrong?” 

Chef De Ghent took in Ian’s pleading eyes, but clearly there was some sort of mistake “Ian, I think you’re mistaken on what’s going on here” 

“No Chef I’m not mistaken, I didn’t get the job that was clearly mine”

“And there lies the mistake. Ian you were not going to get the position as Head Chef…you were never even in the running for it or considered” 

Ian could only listen on disbelievingly at what was just said. “What?” 

“Ian son, you’re a good Chef, but you’ve only been Sous Chef for a little over a year. You aren’t ready for the kind of responsibility…you’re still so young”

“I’m young? When has that ever mattered for cooking? Mickey can’t be that older than me anyway, why isn’t he too young?!” 

Ian couldn’t control the volume of his voice and Chef quickly tried to calm him down and placate his rage “Ian Mickey is a special case. He’s been working in the kitchen since he was 17”

“So have I!” 

“No Ian’s he’s been Sous Chef since he was 17” 

Ian couldn’t believe that. How could he have started so young “That’s impossible” 

“No it’s not…it’s rare but not impossible. Mickey is a genius with food. His palate is impeccable and he just has a knack for creating dishes that send you on a journey. His is art in its purest form.”

“So you’re saying I’m not that good?” Ian was now looking down at the ground, feeling utterly defeated under weight of all the compliments Chef was bestowing on Mickey.

“Ian my boy, you are good but Mickey was born to be a Chef. You worked your way up, completed culinary school and I trained you and you fell in love with food, but Mickey-this is his calling.” Chef De Ghent then tried to build back up his broken confidence “Don’t talk down your accomplishment, Sous Chef at 23 is amazing, but you still have a ways to go, and I would only be doing you an injustice by lying…do you understand?”

No he didn’t “Yes Chef I understand” He lied and tried to plaster on a fake smile. Chef De Ghent seemed to buy it though as he clasped his hand gently on Ian’s shoulder and returned his smile with one of his own. Ian could only watch the older man return to the kitchen, with no choice but to follow.

Mickey was a genius it seemed, and Ian was just…average.


End file.
